The last time Menifee set out to find a permanent city manager, the City Council cast a wide net. This time around, the city is searching out candidates who fit the profile of a chief executive with experience running a city.

To do that, Mann appointed Councilmen John Denver and Wallace Edgerton -- the longest-tenured elected officials on Menifee’s dais -- to an ad hoc committee charged with meeting as soon and as frequently as possible to fill a post that Bill Rawlings left shortly after the November election.

Along with his appointments, Mann highlighted guidelines that he’d like Denver and Edgerton to consider when the committee begins its search:

Prior experience as a city manager;

Candidates willing to tell the council “No,”;

Candidates able to implement strategic visions;

Candidates able to position Menifee for economic recovery;

Candidates who can help city staff develop into future leaders.

Denver, for one, was all on board.

“It was a longer list than I had thought through, but I do not disagree with a single one,” he said. “You have to find someone who meets all that criteria, so that will be the issue.”

After George Wentz resigned his post as Menifee’s first permanent city manager, a consulting firm whittled a list of more than 70 candidates down to a handful of finalists.

None of those candidates -- including Rawlings -- had ever been a city manager, Denver said.

This time, an ad hoc committee -- which could begin meeting as soon as Friday -- hopes to seek out qualified candidates who meet as many of the Council’s criterion as possible.

“It’s a shotgun versus a rifle … and we’ve already done this twice with a shotgun,” Denver said. “So far, not one person has met all the criteria we have. So what we’re going to do is go around and look at people who meet most of that criteria and shoot -- ‘Would you like to be here?’ Would you like to be here?’

“It’s a different approach. We’re going to spend some time looking for someone rather than have them come to us.”

While the city is without a number of chief staff members -- Julie Biggs has filled in as the interim city attorney since Joe Fletcher’s resignation late last year and two people have filled the post vacated by City Engineer Don Allison -- finding a permanent chief executive for the 4-year-old city remains a priority.

Denver said the position could be filled anywhere from within a matter of days to a few weeks if the committee finds the right candidates to bring back to the City Council for full interviews.

In the interim, Rob Johnson is serving as the acting city manager.

“Menifee is in need of an experienced, qualified, strong -- all that -- city manager, someone who can know what he’s doing and handle us,” Denver said. “It will be as fast as we can, too. ASAP – 7, 10, 20 days. Fast.”